"Bare Defiance"
by: WaterShadow
DISCLAIMER: I do not own InuYasha, or any rights to the story or characters therein. I make no profit on what I write when using Rumiko Takahashi's creations whatsoever, and this is done solely for my entertainment and others'.
Notes: I have new chapters of "D the M" and "M of V" in progress, but this little idea and the almighty real life sidetracked them for a while. The latest microbiology exam was brutal, as predicted, but for the next few weeks, updates should flow a lot more smoothly. In the meantime, please enjoy this brief foray into InuYasha fanfiction!
Sango couldn't remember the last time she had been happier than even Kagome-chan to see a village. Perhaps that meant it had been a long time since she had wanted to see people other than those of her traveling group, or she wanted the luxury of a real futon beneath her as she slept, or a multitude of other reasons. This time, it was because she could no longer tolerate the thought of Kagome-chan's magical ramen noodle cups, even to please Inuyasha. Eating them when hunting was chancy at best or otherwise impossible was fine, but over a week's worth of them and even Kagome-chan, the gentlest of people, was willing to go stalking the forests in the dead of night hoping for an unlucky rabbit.
The idea of an inn, where other people cooked food that was not the gods-blessed ramen cups, was nearly enough to make Sango swoon with delight. If she was capable of swooning. As it was, despite having heard Kagome-chan say it multiple times when reading, she was still not entirely sure what it meant, but she was certain it was something taijiya like herself did not do.
Hoshi-sama walked briskly beside Sango, his staff filling the air with music as the wrappings and charms marked his steps. Kirara was currently riding slung around Sango's shoulders, and the soothing purr and the warmth of the small (for the moment) firecat youkai harmonized with the monk's staff. Kagome-chan was walking on Sango's other side. No need to ask where Inuyasha was. His footsteps when they approached any human dwelling grew louder and louder, screaming his displeasure with the idea of walls and a roof for everyone to hear, if his voice wasn't loud enough on its own.
"Dammit, wench, another village! We passed one not too long ago!"
"A month is NOT 'not too long ago,' Inuyasha," retorted Kagome-chan, surreptitiously tugging on the hem of her (in Sango's opinion) overly short skirt. "Besides, it's a good place to stop, what with, well..."
Inuyasha's general grumbling drowned out the last words Kagome-chan was saying, but Sango saw Houshi-sama glance at her and their companions out of the corner of his eye. Sango understood. Inuyasha's voice, normally so carrying, was not quite up to his usual power tonight. In addition to the other changes the new moon wrought, his body grew thinner, his hair became black, and his skin lightened from its usual golden hue to a pale white more appropriate for a fair princess than a young man toughened by wind and sun. Sango, of course, carefully kept her opinion about the human Inuyasha's lily-white skin to herself. Having fought him once before on what she privately called "the misunderstanding," she was not eager to repeat the experience.
"I will see about finding us appropriate accomdations," Houshi-sama interjected smoothly, with the ease of long practice. By now, their group had reached the town center, where the well was situated.
Sango sighed, mentally translating, also with the ease of long practice, that Houshi-sama, with his best wide-eyed look, was going to slap some ofuda onto the inn he deemed most appropriate and use the excuse of purging the "evil within" to get them free rooms. She had long ago dispensed with being horrified at the idea of a monk lying. It somehow seemed appropriate that it was Houshi-sama, called Miroku by the far less respectful Inuyasha, doing it for them. Or perhaps she meant ironic.
If she could just get some sleep without hearing Inuyasha, whose normal hanyou form needed far less sleep than a human's, prowling at night, or having to continually wake up to avoid Houshi-sama's searching hands, she would be able to think more clearly. At least Kagome-chan didn't snore.
"Want to get a bath when we get our room, Sango-chan?" Kagome-chan asked brightly. "That stream a few days ago was really too cold for comfort."
"That would be great, Kagome-chan," Sango replied, smiling. "After dinner."
Sango straightened the front of her traveling yukata, briefly touching the cord criss-crossed over her chest. The cord held her beloved Hiraikotsu to her back, ready for use at a moment's notice. When not using the boomerang for battle, she found that Kirara liked using it as a counterbalance when she rode on Sango's back. Sango thought it was the least she could do, considering how often she herself rode on Kirara's back.
Inuyasha stood next to Kagome-chan, glowering at any man who dared even set eyes on or anywhere near her. Sango had always thought that he should practice a little more discrimination with that protective demeanor. Kagome-chan was a pretty girl, but it was far more likely that the men were staring at her outlandish outfit than at her face. Sango chaulked it up to jealousy and posessiveness. Inuyasha always denied it, but she expected that of him.
Sango herself was always the target of a few stares. It had ceased bothering her a long time ago, but she knew they stared because of what she wore beneath the yukata, instead of the idea of their admiring her beauty. The hand-sewn leggings and the lightweight, tight sleeves of the taijiya uniform peeked out from beneath the brightly colored day-wear. If nothing else, the sheer oddity of her daily outfit prompted stares, but unlike Kagome-chan, she had no man to warn others away from her because of a misperception.
Sango was sure that if Houshi-sama ever cleansed himself of the need to flirt with anything female and fertile, he could be that man. However, she had long since acknowledged that attempting to change him was futile. Irritating though it was, seeing other women turn down and even slap Houshi-sama gave Sango a vicious sort of pleasure she didn't want to admit out loud.
Naturally, when she thought of the perverted monk, he appeared, and this time was no exception. Houshi-sama, trailed by an adoring older man and a much younger woman, walked right up to their party with a smile on his handsome face. "Their inn is now safe for all," he proclaimed, "and they'd like to welcome us to stay for a free night or two in gratitude."
"How surprising," Inuyasha muttered, only to be silenced by a well-applied elbow from Kagome-chan.
"This man has assigned his daughter, this lovely young lady, to guide us through our stay," Houshi-sama finished, giving their group an almost imperceptible nod. Everyone knew what that meant.
"Thank you for your great kindness," Kagome-chan gushed, coming forward with an almost ludicrous look of happiness.
"It is us who should be thanking you, and this young monk," the innkeeper proclaimed, with his young daughter nodding the whole time. "If he and your group had not happened upon us when you had, we might have all been slaughtered in our sleep!"
"Oh, such a good thing I didn't bring young Shippou-chan with us, then," Kagome-chan said with a thoughtful frown. "How dangerous!"
"Leaving him with Kaede-baachan was the right thing to do," Inuyasha said firmly. "He was sick, and she wanted to care for him."
"Oh, you have a sick child?" The innkeeper's daughter said, looking horrified.
"My adopted son," Kagome-chan said simply. "His father left him in my care."
True enough, if something slightly different from the actual truth. Poor Shippou-kun was sick, but bringing him would mean having to explain more than any of them wanted, not to mention the difficulties in caring for him in his illness. This particular area, Sango remembered, was known for their paranoia regarding kitsune-youkai. Small wonder, considering their close proximity to a school for the young ones like Shippou-kun. The pranks probably abounded when school was in session.
"Then please, follow us and refresh yourselves," the innkeeper (whose name Sango and the rest still didn't know) said grandly, turning to gesture them ahead of him. The innkeeper's daughter, her eyes bright with an all-too-familiar, repugnant expression of hero worship, took Houshi-sama's arm and led him away. Sango, Inuyasha and Kagome-chan followed. If Sango sighed more than she usually did (and she was fully aware that she was), Inuyasha and Kagome-chan had the good grace to not comment.
-()()()-
Dinner had been, for lack of any other words, excellent. It had been a while since Sango had had such a feast, and from the sated expressions on Houshi-sama, Kagome-chan and Inuyasha's faces, they all felt the same way. Even Inuyasha's customary scowl had lightened into something that could almost be considered neutral. If that wasn't a sign about the quality of the meal, Sango would eat the tatami she sat upon.
She hoped she wouldn't have to, though; she was simply too full.
The one annoyance tainting the pleasure Sango had in a ramen-less meal and a roof over her head was seeing how the daughter of the innkeeper (who had finally introduced himself and his daughter, and whose names Sango had promptly forgotten) was shamelessly flirting with Houshi-sama. It seemed innocent enough in the beginning; a touch on the arm here, a tap on the shoulder there, but as the meal progressed, so did her audacity. Even the space betwen herself and the monk had shrunken so that, with one economical wiggle, the girl would practically be in Houshi-sama's lap.
The more pragmatic and wordly part of Sango dryly informed her that, doubtless, the girl wanted to be on his lap. The question was whether or not Houshi-sama would place her there himself, or wait for her to disregard the rest of her family's honor. Sango didn't often consider herself a woman to place bets, but suddenly, she wished for a few sen to lay down for the girl forgetting herself.
"Two sen say that the girl tries to come into his bedroom tonight," Kagome-chan whispered to Sango, momentarily startling her into a loud laugh. Kagome-chan, Sango had found, was very good at both saying outrageous things and guessing what Sango was thinking, and this time she had managed both.
Smiling more broadly than she had before, Sango looked down the table and blushed to see everyone staring at her curiously. "Ah, forgive me," she managed, chuckling a little despite her embarrassment. "My friend just told me something that reminded me of a joke."
"Would your perhaps care to share?" The innkeeper asked, blithely unaware of the impropriety happening not one seat away from him.
Sango froze, then relaxed and smiled again. "Gladly," she replied.
From the way Inuyasha, sitting across from her and Kagome-chan, looked, Sango could guess that his (currently) human but still very sharp ears had easily heard what Kagome-chan had said. His look also said that he was amused, but he wasn't going to help her out of the situation.
With a brief glance to her left, where Houshi-sama and the innkeeper's daughter were sitting, Sango took a deep breath and began retelling an old joke involving a humble pig-keeper, an arrogant priest, and a mudpit. Though everyone else at the table laughed, Sango relished the annoyed look on Houshi-sama's face when she revealed what happened to the priest. Even the shameless daughter laughed and took herself a little further away from the monk while Sango spoke, which partially restored Sango's faith in her.
As everyone calmed down from their mirth and the innkeeper himself poured a last cup of tea for everyone, Sango smiled softly to herself as she inhaled the fragrant steam. She was glad to have dispensed with the outward displays of jealousy that had characterized so many of her encounters with the monk. Certainly Sango still loved Miroku as he was, but not letting it interfere with her daily life had been saving Sango a lot more energy that she wasn't wasting on stress. Kagome-chan and her books on the subject of men and love really had proven useful.
Sango sometimes saw Houshi-sama staring at her oddly whenever he was in a situation where, in previous times, she would have stalked off in a rage. She did still feel angry at his neglect, but overall, she felt this way was better. He had begun to stay closer to her than he had before, and thankfully, not in the groping sense. It had not been her intention to get that reaction from him, but she wouldn't and couldn't argue with the end result.
Sango delicately sipped at her tea, her posture as perfect as her long-dead mother had made it, and rejoiced in feeling content for the first time in a while. Her evening would have a relaxing bath with Kagome-chan for company, a clean, warm bed nowhere near leaves or perverted young men, and in the morning, freshly washed clothes courtesy of the inn's small staff.
Finished, she bowed to the innkeeper from where she sat. "Thank you for this meal and the efforts you have put in to making us feel welcome," she intoned.
Smiling, the innkeeper bowed back. "Ah, but it is we who are honored to have such a group of young onmyoji to have saved us!"
"You are far too generous with your praise," Sango said, turning her face away and lowering her eyelashes as if to hide a blush. It was a blush of annoyance with the monk's continual odd stories to explain their presence, but the man didn't need to know that. "I wish to bid you a good evening, and thank you again for your many courtesies."
"I am honored to have been of service," the innkeeper proclaimed, bowing for a second time.
It was a pity that such a good man had to have such an incurable flirt for a daughter. The small glance away had given Sango a chance to peep at the monk, and the girl had practically climbed into his lap again. Shameless.
Despite her mild irritation, Sango stood up gracefully, bowed again, and turned to exit the room. She had barely taken one step before Kagome-chan's voice sounded from behind her, complimenting the innkeeper and wishing him a good night. Sango exited the room, and Kagome-chan joined her not a moment later, looking considerably brighter than Sango had seen for a while. "Shall we go bathe, then?" Kagome inquired.
"In a few minutes," Sango said, heading toward the room she would be sharing with Kagome-chan and Kirara. Earlier in the evening, Sango had requested a small bowl of meat be given her to feed her beloved feline partner, and from the way Kirara had attacked the bowl the moment it was set on the ground, it must have met her standards admirably. "I want to check on Kirara, and get my salve jar."
"Oh, right," Kagome-chan said, falling in step. "I forget you need that for after you bathe."
"It helps to keep my body flexible," Sango said, keeping her voice low as they passed other people. "The scar tissue would impair my abilities if I didn't keep the skin soft."
"I'll gladly help you put it on your back," Kagome-chan offered quickly. Sango nodded at her friend with a smile.
Sango had never forgotten the first time Kagome-chan had seen her body without clothing. The look of shock had been bad enough, but seeing Kagome-chan's eyes well up with tears of empathy...Sango shook her head briskly. She was fully aware that her body was like a kimono with highly visible, poorly placed stiches. It was another of the things that had ceased to disturb her as time went on. She had initially dealt with it by not bathing with other women present, not wanting to compare their soft, curved bodies with her own scarred and thin one, but after the first time Kagome-chan had seen her and the surprise had worn off, Sango had never had to bathe alone again. Kagome-chan's acceptance of her, scars, unwomanly figure and all, meant a lot.
Kirara was glad to see them as Sango slid the door open. She mewed and wound around Sango's legs, then Kagome's, proudly nudging a very familiar jar over to Sango's foot when done with that ritual. Sango smiled and thanked her with gentle ear rubs while Kirara's musical purr filled the room.
"Oh, they left us yukata," Kagome-chan said in surprise, looking at their futons. Everyone had gone to dinner wearing the clothes they had arrived in, and the yukata were a welcome surprise. It meant not having to carry their clothing down to the bathhouse. Sango looked for herself and indeed, a dark blue yukata lay on each of their futons. Hiraikotsu lay near Sango's futon, along with her sheathed short sword and small pack, while Kagome-chan's massive yellow bag, quiver, and bow sat at the foot of the futon she had claimed. The small pack was partially open, proof of Kirara's successful search for the jar. Indulging in one last caress of soft fur, Sango straightened from the crouch she had adopted to pet Kirara and went to her futon.
Sango removed the tie from her hair and shook her head with a soft sound of relief. Her black hair flew back and forth. "Much better."
"Your hair is very long, Sango-chan," Kagome-chan noted, pulling her skirt down.
"I can't bear to cut it just yet," Sango admitted, untying her yukata to reveal her taijiya uniform. "It's not getting inconvenient, but it grows too fast."
"It's beautiful hair," Kagome-chan declared, removing her strange tabi. "I'm amazed at how thick and full it is! I'm also jealous."
"My mother had the same hair," Sango murmured, unfastening first the neck and then the waist of her armor. "It just falls this way."
"I am still jealous," Kagome-chan said firmly. "My hair doesn't fall even and thick the way yours does! It's just too wavy."
Sango quietly looked at her friend while she removed her leggings, careful not to catch them on her fundoshi. "Your hair is beautiful too, Kagome-chan. You have those blue undertones that mine just doesn't have."
Kagome-chan, having done away with her top to reveal the strange undergarment she wore beneath, chuckled. "How long has it been since we've been able to talk about something so, so..."
"Silly?" Sango suggested with a laugh.
"Yeah!" Kagome-chan exclaimed while Sango carefully extricated herself from her top, revealing a breast wrapping. "It's about as silly as you wearing that fundoshi!"
Sango laughed again. "And just what is wrong with my fundoshi?"
"Aside from the fact that generally only men wear them?" Kagome-chan asked, sounding amused.
"If they had to deal with the clothing I wear on a daily basis, they'd insist," Sango replied drily. "Getting them clean is hard enough without having to deal with the various...things that happen down there."
Kagome-chan just nodded, accepting that as certain. Given that she was a woman like Sango herself, she certainly knew better about what went on...down there...than anyone else in the group. Possibly excepting the monk. But then, the houshi was, as Sango had found, an exception to everything. Damn him.
Sango, having carefully laid her clothing out on the futon to prevent further wrinkling, was reaching for her yukata when she heared the scream. Instantly, she and Kagome-chan stopped moving, straining their ears to take better stock of the situation. The scream didn't repeat itself, and Sango felt herself relax marginally, but then a terrified plea cut the air. "My daughter! Oh gods, not her! PLEASE! SOMEONE! HELP MY DAUGHTER!"
Sango cursed, recognizing the innkeeper's voice. Without a second thought, she unsheathed her sword and took up Hiraikotsu, while Kagome-chan, clad in the house yukata, gathered her bow and arrows. Sango's mind tuned into focus with her body, tensed and ready for battle. Inuyasha would-shit!
"Kagome-chan, go to Inuyasha! Remember the-" Kagome-chan didn't even wait for Sango to finish, and she was off like an arrow from her bow. Sango was hard on her heels and overtook Kagome when she ducked into the room the menfolk were sharing. A quick glance showed a red hakama-wearing form still inside, a sheathed Tetsusaiga clutched in one tense hand. Then even that view disappeared as Sango's feet pounded tatami in her search for an exit. She broke stride long enough to sling Hirakotsu's carry strap across her chest before she was off once again. Hell awaited her outside, she was sure.
Two seconds later, she confirmed that guess. A group of varied youkai were out in force, harrassing the townsfolk. The leader of that group, a rather large, ugly tanuki, was holding the innkeeper's daughter. To the girl's credit, she was screaming for all she was worth and fighting the hold, but as Sango knew from bitter experience, she wouldn't be released until the youkai himself let go.
The air was filled with cries of fear and the smell of blood. Instantly, Sango's mind shifted focus from rescue to attack. These people had taken her in, given her friends shelter, and above all, were innocent. Sango had been brought up under the strict code of defending those not able to save themselves, not excluding the most vile villians or even foolish people like that girl who had been flirting with Houshi-sama all night.
Sango felt some fear, tasted copper in her mouth. She didn't see the monk, and Inuyasha, though a skilled enough fighter as a human, was simply not as dangerous as when he was his usual hanyou self. If she were to attack now, she would be attacking without her usual backup. Waiting could be fatal to these townspeople. It wasn't a choice at all.
The thoughts had run through her head in less than a second. Seeing the most immediate danger coming from the youkai clutching the innkeeper's foolish daughter, Sango released Hiraikotsu from the strap, jumped far enough away from the building for a clean shot, and threw it with a yell.
As she had hoped, the giant boomerang made its way unerringly toward the large tanuki. She saw his eyes widen with alarm, but saw him dodge it easily, laughing nastily as the bone passed him by.
The laughter cut off a moment later when Sango, running a parallel path to her throwing weapon, lashed out with the sword to cut off the arm holding the young woman. A few hairs from the woman's head drifted down to mingle with the blood spurting from the massive wound, but Sango was relieved to note that the innkeeper's daughter was otherwise unharmed. Sango whirled and, once the girl had fallen safely to the ground to cower, followed up her initial slash with an equally powerful one to the tanuki's throat. Caught completely off balance by her attack, the tanuki died instantly, blood spurting hard out of the mortal wound to the neck, splattering Sango and the woman she had rescued.
Hearing more screams of rage and fright in the air, Sango dragged the now-sobbing girl off the ground. "Get inside! Hurry!"
The trembling girl looked at Sango momentarily like she was a worse monster than the kidnapping youkai, then ran for her father's inn as fast as she could. Sango forgot her the moment she was out of sight, and instantly caught her boomerang when it circled back to her. She instanly shifted her grip on the sword, ensuring that it was held as firmly in her left hand as Hiraikotsu was in her right, and waded toward a group of young men fighting several rat youkai.
Sango, in the distant portion of her mind that analyzed battle movements, noted that the various young men were holding their swords like they hadn't ever practiced their use, before the foremost part of her brain saw the rat youkai herding them toward an alley. Sango ran to cut that off, hearing a disturbing murmuring start as she ran toward the emperiled men, entering the fray with the fierce battle-cry of the taijiya of ancient times, which cleared enough space for her to not have to worry about cutting down friend and foe alike.
Fighting with her boomerang and the sword at once was an art only she, of her entire family, had mastered, and why she had been the only person deemed worthy of taking up Hiraikotsu. Though her boomerang had been created with the intent of fighting distance battles, she now wielded it in close-quarters with one hand. Hiraikotsu, after training with it for so long, felt as light as any lady's fan, and she used it as such. The wicked, sharpened edges of her boomerang cut the rat youkai down as she whirled, her sword used whenever an enemy penetrated her guard. Stab, slash, parry with Hiraikotsu, brought in front of her face, shielding her torso, block from behind and disarm in the front.
The chanting grew louder and more intelligible. "Shikon...Shikon..."
Sango had been afraid of that. Kagome-chan was as careful as ever to shield the Shikon no Tama with her fledgling miko powers, but inevitably, rumors of her carrying it went around the less powerful youkai groups like wind through the trees. Dammit, dammit, dammit...
Though Sango had successfully defeated the group of rat youkai, the young men behind her were frozen still. Battle-shock was hard on first-timers, Sango knew. It was why only experienced taijiya went out with the beginners, to keep them out of trouble, but as the attack escalated, she realized she couldn't rely on them. She finally saw Houshi-sama, his staff moving as fluidly as Hiraikotsu moved for her. Pink arrows were flying through the air, taking down target after target, while a red form prowled around her, keeping the smaller youkai from attacking.
Sango didn't have time to worry about the young men she had saved. A sizeable group of misshaped youkai were coming toward her, clearly seeing the threat she represented, and suddenly, Sango smelled smoke. Someone was setting fire to the village, counting on the resulting chaos to drive the villagers out of their buildings. None of her companions could come and help her as she was viciously attacked. Sango defended and attacked as best she could, but for every three blows she deflected, at least one would get through her guard. Gambling for a second, she repositioned Hiraikotsu in her hand, holding it ready for a throw, but at the last moment, the most dangerous, the time when she was completely exposed and she couldn't count on her enemies to launch an attack at her now unprotected side, she flipped the sword into its downward postion, took a partial grip on Hiraikotsu, and swung it in a circle as hard and fast as she could, clearing a wide swatch as the majority of her attackers were bisected.
More were coming. Only one person could help her now.
"KIRARA!" Sango howled with all her strength, holding her defensive line to guard the young men. A moment later, her cry was answered. A giant flaming youkai dropped from the night sky, a hissing cry momentarily silencing the sounds of battle, as fire erupted around the youkai pressing the attack. Not waiting for Kirara to land, Sango leapt straight up to land securly on the firecat's back, ignoring the pained shrieks of the youkai burning to death.
Sango took the brief moment of respite on her partner's back to take stock of herself. She had a shallow cut on her left shoulder, another on her right thigh. She was bruised from the hits she had taken with fists or feet, and she was vaguely aware of a faint ringing in her ears. She was still mobile, and with relief, she saw the young men drop their swords and run for a barrier the monk was erecting with ofuda she knew the youkai couldn't touch.
She saw a group of youkai approaching his back. Kagome-chan was firing, screaming something that Sango couldn't hear over the din. Inuyasha's mouth was opening and closing in what Sango knew would be curses. No one else but her saw the youkai closing in on Houshi-sama's unprotected flank.
Sango tapped Kirara's side and pointed, and the firecat yowled her agreement. Flying in that direction, she gave a controlled buck that Sango, who had carefully stood up on Kirara's back, used to launch herself into the air.
Sango rolled upon impact with the ground, stood up fast, and took down the closest youkai to Houshi-sama's back before any attacker had a chance to register her arrival. Once again, she took up a guard position, but instead of a group of young men she didn't even know, this time, she protected Miroku.
Exasperating man. She didn't even know why she felt the way she did about him, but he was important to her in a way that wasn't like family. Then even thoughts like that shut down as the first wave came upon her, only to be struck down with all the weapons at her disposal.
Sango planted Hiraikotsu into the ground and used it as leverage to lash out with bare feet, often striking unprotected faces or, in the case of some of the larger creatures, ribcages. Her sword left bloody and often deadly kisses on the skin of the attackers. She heard herself screaming in defiance as Hiraikotsu left her hand to flatten some of the youkai menacing Kagome-chan and Inuyasha, both of whom looked the worse for wear but were still full of fighting spirit. The knuckles of both hands grew bloody as she punched hard bodies, not caring that her sword was still gripped in her left hand. Sango felt sting after sting as the youkai who hadn't yet taken fatal damage from her or the monk's flying ofuda got through her guard. The heavy thunk as Hiraikotsu returned to her service and hand was as sweet as the sword-strokes removing heads and limbs from her enemies. Sango was unaware of time as she fought, leaving the monk's side only when she saw lone villagers who hadn't yet reached the shelter Miroku had provided, coldly cutting down anyone who menaced a noncombatant. More fires blazed as Kirara joined the battle, her howls of defiance matching Sango's now-hoarse shouting.
Finally, after an hours-long moment, no one came forward to attack her or her companions. Sango found herself alone staring at the body of a snake youkai, the expression on his face showing his complete astonishment, and the bloody gaping wound at his neck demonstrating how he had died. Full night had somehow fallen since the time she had exited the inn, and the stars were shining to make up for the lack of moon in the sky. She felt more than saw a fire in front of her. Her training was the only thing keeping her weapons in her hands as she suddenly realized that she was cold.
"Taijiya-sama..."
Sango whirled at the voice, her left hand holding the sword steady in front of her, Hiraikotsu in the throwing position slightly behind her in her right. The fire now warmed her back instead of her front as she glared at whoever had called her. Was it an attacker?
The innkeeper stood in front of her, looking mometarily startled. "Taijiya-sama, there is no one else," he said softly. Sango looked at him a moment, almost seeing through him. No more? She had gotten them all?
As she tried desperately to relax her guard, suddenly, the innkeeper dropped to his knees and prostrated himself in front of her, crying. "Thank you, for my daughter, taijiya-sama, thank you!"
"Sango-chan," Kagome-chan said softly. "Sango-chan, it's safe now."
Abruptly, Sango came back to herself. The battle-rage left her, and she became aware that not only the innkeeper was in front of her. Kagome-chan was off to her left, holding her bow and looking concerned. Miroku stook with Inuyasha, both of them covered in blood, more so with the currently-human hanyou, both appearing surprised, and Inuyasha holding the now small Kirara. The group of young men Sango had saved a little while (an eternity) ago stared at her with odd expressions of fear and...was that desire? Why would they be looking at her like that?
Sango lowered her sword and, out of long habit, reattached Hiraikotsu to the carry strap across her chest. Wait. Her chest wrappings were soaked in blood. And visible. Her hair draped in front of her in a way she never permitted when in public. Sango remembered, with embarrassing clarity, that when she had heard the sounds of battle, she had run out of the inn without her clothes. She hadn't even grabbed the house yukata, which was all Kagome-chan herself was wearing.
She couldn't face those men staring at her. Couldn't. She turned instead to look at her sword hand, and saw that her arm was drenched in blood. Judging from the pain she was feeling, not all of it was enemy blood.
"Taijiya-sama!"
Sango looked around. That had been a woman's voice...
"Taijiya-sama!" This time, there was a cheer, and suddenly, Sango was surrounded by women, some crying, all chanting "taijiya-sama" in tones of worship and gratitude. A soft cloth came down around her shoulders and another was wrapped around her hips as the men joined in the triumphant chant. She saw Inuyasha, Kagome-chan, and Houshi-sama receiving similar treatment, and noted with amusement that Inuyasha in particular looked distinctly uncomfortable with the attention. Careful to avoid her dripping sword, the women gently chivvied her toward the inn that she and the group had entered forever and a day ago, muttering in dismay about how injured and covered in blood she was. Sango didn't fail to note that she was getting slightly preferential treatment, but tried to slow down enough to let Kagome-chan, who thankfully didn't look injured, catch up with her.
"Where are we going?" Sango finally croaked out, noting her voice had worn down to a whisper. Kagome-chan reached over to pat her arm reassuringly, not even flinching when the hand came away bloody.
"To bathe you and treat your wounds, Taijiya-sama," answered one of the women. To Sango's shock, it was the innkeeper's daughter who had spoken, and she looked far less silly than she had when she had been flirting with Houshi-sama. "Thanks to you and your group, not only was I saved, but not one of our people died!"
"It was the least we could do," Kagome-chan spoke for them both as Sango allowed herself to be lead to the baths. Sango just nodded firmly, suddenly too tired and embarrassed to even protest. The only thing she felt sure about was the difficulty she knew she would have facing the male members of her party when the dawn came.
-()()()-
When morning came, Sango was, predictably, blushing and looking downcast while the innkeeper and several of the villagers praised their group and pressed gifts denoting their gratitude upon them. The final touch was the innkeeper's daughter hugging Sango, much to her further dismay.
Sango (and Kirara, riding on Sango's shoulders) soon outstripped the group, walking far more quickly than her injuries should have permitted. Kagome was jogging to keep up. Miroku just kept staring at Sango's rapidly retreating backside as he moved beside a normal, hanyou Inuyasha (who had left the inn shortly after dawn to wait for them in the forest, to avoid awkward questions).
"Oi, monk," Inuyasha said finally, his watchful eyes drifting around to watch for trouble, landing more often on Kagome than necessary. "Stop that."
"Stop what?" Miroku said absently, his gaze never wavering from the shapely taijiya's form.
"Whatever you're thinking," Inuyasha said, wrinkling his nose. "You stink of arousal."
Miroku sighed. "I can't get that sight of her, wearing nothing but undergarments, blood and her own hair out of my mind," he admitted to the hanyou without his usual attempts at dissembling. "It shouldn't have been such an erotic sight, but it was."
"You should have been born a youkai," Inuyasha snorted in disgust.
Miroku looked at him incredulously. "You mean to tell me that looking at that beautiful, nearly naked, lushly curved goddess of war did absolutely nothing to you? Are you made of blasted stone?"
Inuyasha snorted and looked uncomfortable. "Not talking about me here, monk."
"You must be a eunuch," Miroku groaned. "That's the only way you could ignore the sheer magnificence of her, highlighted with fire, covered with-"
"Oi, enough!" Inuyasha bellowed, causing Kagome to look back with concern. When he waved at her, she shrugged and kept going with Sango. More quietly, he said, "I don't think she wants to hear that from you, considering how you were carrying on with that weak little wench from the other night."
Miroku winced. "She wouldn't take no for an answer."
"Don't matter," Inuyasha said shortly. Then, deciding that the monk needed a clearer statement than that, he continued, "you may think that Sango over there was beautiful and all that other shit, but remember, if you truly piss her off by hanging 'round those other wenches and gropin' her, do you want her to decide that killing you is a good idea?"
From the sudden silence on his right, Inuyasha trusted his point had gotten across, but on some weird impish impulse, decided to add more. "Just remember that the next time some bitch in heat comes around."
Inuyasha then walked faster, to catch up with Kagome and Sango. Inwardly, he smirked to himself. He hoped that the monk would get a clue soon, as Kagome often said to him, and just confess to Sango already, the way he had with Kagome. It'd make things calmer.
It would also ensure that the stupid monk would get less injured from the good side and be able to fight more often, but that was an ulterior motive. Really. That was what he would tell anyone if asked, anyway.
Inuyasha knew no one would ask, though. He counted on it.
This story, barring other interference, is complete in and of itself. I hope you have enjoyed this oneshot, and will leave commentary in a review for me!